In Romanian - for the first time

Asta e prima data cind scriu in acest jurnal in limba romana. E ceva special pentru o ocazie speciala. Duminica sunt alegerile parlamentare si prezidentiale in Romania, si voi avea ocazia sa votez la sectia de votare din Dallas, la 600km de Fayetteville si University of Arkansas. In ultimii ani, dar mai ales in ultimele saptamini am urmarit foarte atent stirile din Romania. In cei trei ani si jumatate de cind sunt in State am realizat importanta politicii in viata de zi cu zi a oamenilor. Cind eram in Romania ma gindeam cu scirba la sistemul corupt din politica, la uniformitatea tuturor partidelor, la politicieni ca la o gloate de profitori, speram cu naivitate la oameni perfecti, modele de inteligenta si moralitate care sa ma reprezinte. Doar acum imi dau seama ca nu exista tara in lumea asta unde politica e un ceas elvetian. In America, cea mai veche democratie din lume, aproape 30% din lume nu s-a identificat cu nici unul din candidati. Lipsa cronica de inteligenta si legaturile directe ale lui Bush cu familia regala din Arabia Saudita, furturile indirecte din buget ale lui Dick Cheney prin firma sa Halliburton, indecizia cronica a lui John Kerry, un bogat putred care cerea votul oamenilor simpli si saraci, sau smecheria lui John Edwards, un avocat slinos care apara pe oricine care ii ofera mai multi bani au scirbit pe multi americani. In Franta in alegerile trecute oamenii au avut de ales intre un candidat rau si unul abominabil. La fel s-a intimplat si in Romania in 2000 cind am avut de ales intre un comunist si un nebun.

Oricit de amar e gustul politicii si oricit de imperfect arata sistemul, asta e democratia. Unii profita de pe urma lipsei de interes a altora. Dar mai exista undeva, in coltul cel mai negru al cutiei, SPERANTA. Fiecare om are un singur mod de a isi face vocea auzita, de a spune ce crede, de a ii scuipa intre ochi pe cei care l-au furat, de a spera in ceva mai bun. Acesta este VOTUL. Patapievici are un comentariu superb la Europa Libera prin care argumenteaza foarte elocvent ca nu e nimic mai democratic decit un vot contra. Refuzul de a merge la vot, o greva japoneza politica, mi separe metoda cea mai ineficace de lupta. Inteligenta le induce frica PSD'istilor, si indecizia oamenilor care gindesc este exact ce vor sa se intimple. Cosmarul care are loc acum in Ukraina, convorbirile gen clanul Gotti ce au loc la sedintele PSD, armata de minciunosi, lichele si idioti care se incoloneaza in spatele lui Nastase" ar trebui sa indrepte pe toata lumea la cabinele de vot pe 28 noiembrie si sa le dea acestor mafioti ce merita.

Nimeni nu garanteaza ca totul se va schimba peste noapte. Cu siguranta Basescu nu e un Prisnea-cel-Voinic, dar nimeni nu poate sa argumenteze ca e mai putin cinstit decit Nastase. Basescu stie sa faca. A condus nave, a schimbat Bucurestiul, a spus intotdeauna ce gindeste, le-a dat cu tifla la toti care l-au calcat pe coada, in timp ce Nastase a lins pe oricine l-a lasat. Deasemenea nu cred ca poate cineva sa o compare pe doamna Mona Musca cu unealta de Ecaterina Andronescu. E o gluma sa il pui alaturi pe un Tariceanu care a condus cu profit citeva firme cu un Mitrea care abia a reusit sa termine liceul. Exemplele sunt nenumarate. Sunt plin de speranta ca fiecare va deschide ochii si se va duce sa voteze. SPER.

P.S. Poate sunt eu cel naiv, dar chiar daca ceva o sa se schimbe sau nu, voi fi cu constiinta impacata ca am facut tot ce am putut. Si sper sa nu se ajunga la varianta asta.

America and Wal-Mart

What is America like?

I will hear this question more than a hundred times while in Romania this December. And I know there are millions others that want to know the answer to this question. People have dreams about the Promise land, and many of them are misconceptions. I can only relate to myself 4-5 years ago. So every time I try to answer this question I get bogged down under piles of details. Direct comparison doesn't work because America is so different than anything else. Examples don't work either because America is so diverse. Well, the other day I watched a documentary about Wal-Mart on PBS and I thought it was the best short lesson on America that I have seen so far.

You can go to http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/walmart/ and read the interviews, main points and discussion. After Friday they will have the entire show in video format, so if you have a good internet connection you can try to watch it online. I rarely find things that I get excited about anymore, and I felt like I needed to shout to the entire world about this documentary. If by any chance you have the slightest curiosity about what drives America, what makes America move forward you have to see this show.

If you don't have time to sit down and waste (in your opinion) an hour of your life or if your internet is too slow then I can try to sum it up in a few words here. The show is about Wal-Mart the No. 1 company in the world. The company is founded in Bentonville, Arkansas a few miles north of Fayetteville, where I study at University of Arkansas. Wal-Mart grew exponentially over the past 10 years. It started with a little grocery store in the 70's and now has 40% of the retail market of America. Yeas, entire America, the biggest consumer market in the world. Last year Wal-Mart had sales of 250 billion dollars, more than the budget of some countries, more than the sum of its 3 or 4 competitors.

America= capitalism+succes+profit+image and Wal-Mart is nothing less. It sounds like Wal-Mart is perfect, right? Well not quite. How is this success achieved? How are the profits really made? How big is the greed that generates success, what are the repercussions of these profits, and what is society's net gain out of the whole deal? I can't give a definite answer to this one, but you can make your own opinion after you watch the documentary. It's a really close call, I tell you. I am sure it will make some people excited about the smarts of Wal-Mart and others disgusted with this cunny and merciless system we like to call capitalism.